People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

That makes sense, though, since Cao Ze had no other choice after entering the Empress's palace, Chunqing Palace.

He either committed adultery with the courtesan or was falsely accused by her and died.

Although he hadn't expected the Empress to have an affair with Cao Ze, he also knew that no matter what Cao Ze did, he would eventually have to cooperate with him to help Zhao Qian ascend to the throne.

He also held leverage over Cao Ze and the Empress Dowager.

Even if it can't be used, at least it will give him something that can threaten Cao Ze before Zhao Yan dies.

The advantage lies with him!

Chapter 153 Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique

Cao Ze was unaware that the Empress had once again suffered from another bout of idiocy.

Otherwise, he would have hit the back of the head with a stick a few times.

Stupid woman! You can't even make up a story!

Zhao Jia and Cao Ze walked into Feixue Pavilion.

Yafei sent Xue Nu and Li Ji to the dance studio to practice dancing.

Cao Ze held up the Snow-Topped Silver Shuttle brewed by Ya Fei.

It must be said that drinking the Snow Peak Silver Needle tea, harvested after a snowfall, on a snowy day has a unique flavor.

As soon as he sat down, Zhao Jia asked impatiently, "Sir, what did my father say?"

Cao Zewei held up the tea that Consort Ya had poured and said to Zhao Jia, "Your Highness, please don't be in a hurry. Have a cup of tea first."

He had no interest in becoming Zhao Yan's Shang Yang, but he knew that this was an opportunity Zhao Jia had created for him.

Consort Ya smiled and lit some calming incense, saying, "Your Highness, please remain calm."

After calming himself down and drinking a cup of tea, Zhao Jiaping said, "Sir, could it be that..."

He now vaguely realized the problem; Guo Kai and the Queen were both there, which seemed somewhat coincidental.

Cao Ze nodded and said, "I refused Your Majesty."

Zhao Jia frowned deeply. "Why?"

When he privately met with his father and presented Cao Ze's theory of centralized power, he personally heard his father praising it highly and wanting to give Cao Ze an important position.

Consort Ya paused slightly, gently stroking her hair with her delicate hand, and said, "It seems that what my brother wants you to do is a bit difficult."

Cao Ze smiled helplessly, "It's more than just difficult; one wrong move and I could be decapitated."

Ya Fei's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly: "What's going on?"

Cao Ze said, "The king wants me to emulate Shang Yang's reforms, but he doesn't want to completely offend those nobles."

He secretly grumbled to himself that with Zhao Yan's indecisiveness and his desire for more than he could have, he would eventually be dragged out as a sacrifice for those old nobles.

Have you not seen how Wu Zi, who sought refuge in the state of Chu, died?

Learn from past mistakes.

Zhao Jia asked in surprise, "Why does Father want you to emulate Shang Yang's reforms? Father clearly wants to..."

At this point, Zhao Jia immediately shut up. No wonder Guo Kai seemed so indifferent, not caring at all what he wanted to do.

Thinking of this, Zhao Jia sighed.

Zhao Ya frowned slightly and said, "Haven't you already gained the trust of Guo Kai and the Queen?"

Zhao Jia looked at Cao Ze, his eyes questioning.

Logically speaking, Guo Kai and the Queen shouldn't be making things difficult for Cao Ze here.

Cao Ze put down his teacup and said, "Your Highness, I would like to correct you on one point. This trust is not as genuine as the one between Your Highness and me."

"They are just using each other, therefore... they are also wary of each other."

He could probably guess that the Empress was unaware of what had happened and had only been slightly manipulated by Guo Kai.

To become the man behind the King of Zhao, he must have some skills. He easily ruined Zhao Jia's plans, killing without shedding blood.

Fortunately, he was the man behind the queen, otherwise he would have really suffered at Guo Kai's hands and would not have been able to teach and make a name for himself on the Hundred Schools Forum in peace.

Ya Fei looked at Cao Ze with a half-smile. She had keenly observed that when Cao Ze said "sincerely," he was looking into her eyes the whole time.

Zhao Jia placed one hand on the tea table, his face looking rather unpleasant.

"I was too impatient."

His days in Handan were not easy.

His supporters were mostly the military, either guarding the border in the north or stationed in other important locations.

There weren't many ministers in the court who could speak up for him. In addition, Guo Kai was promoted to the position of Grand Minister by his father, who acted as the prime minister and took charge of the government. Many centrist ministers were bribed by Guo Kai through various means.

This is his most genuine feeling over the past few months.

Therefore, he wanted to take advantage of the Hundred Schools of Thought to get Cao Ze highly valued by his father, enter the Zhao court, and become a minister.

I never expected that Guo Kai would see through it so easily and sabotage it so easily.

Consort Ya's pretty face turned slightly serious as she said, "Your Highness, don't be discouraged. As long as Generals Li Mu and Pang Nuan are here, Guo Kai and the others won't be able to cause any trouble."

Cao Ze sighed softly, "The problem isn't with Queen Guo Kai at all, but with..."

At this point, he looked at Zhao Jia.

If he were in Zhao Jia's position, he would have already tried to develop his strength stealthily and prepare to eliminate the corrupt officials around him.

It's clear that Guo Kai is also wary of Zhao Jia going to extremes, and is constantly weakening Zhao's influence and strength.

At this moment, Zhao Yan was almost like JD.com's CEO, surrounded by beauties. The female CEO gave customer service staff raises, subsidies, and chocolate benefits, while squeezing out frontline delivery guys and cutting their wages.

If we compare the fairy to a eunuch and the young man to a soldier, and take the principle that power is only accountable to its source, then the matter becomes clear.

Zhao Yan's close and trusted associates were all from Guo Kai's faction, and most of the eunuchs and ministers he frequently interacted with were Guo Kai's men.

If Zhao Jia doesn't harden his heart, he's practically waiting to die.

Unless Zhao Yan died suddenly when Zhao Jia was still the crown prince.

Zhao Jia remained silent; this was the biggest thorn in his side.

The reason why his father made him the crown prince was purely because his grandfather wanted to prevent a repeat of the Sand Dune Incident of their ancestor King Wuling, and made his father swear to make him the crown prince.

But now his father is the King of Zhao, and General Pang Nuan has been sidelined because of the alliance, while Guo Kai wields immense power in the court.

He could easily be removed from the position of crown prince by his father's mere whim.

This was hardly a new phenomenon in the various states; the so-called eldest son was merely a fig leaf that could be dispensable.

Cao Ze left Feixue Pavilion.

Some things should only be mentioned briefly; saying too much will only offend people.

Frankly speaking, if Zhao Jia had the courage, he could have followed Li Lao Er's example and directly seized an opportunity to launch a palace coup.

He might actually consider Zhao Jia.

After all, being able to fight a guerrilla war in the Dai region for six years under the oppression of a fully-fledged Ying Zheng shows that he was definitely capable enough.

His ability to treat scholars with respect, to recognize and utilize talent, and his unwavering will alone could have defeated countless rulers.

With her current indecisive personality, she really needs to undergo some hardship and tempering, such as going to Qin to study as a hostage and facing the destruction of her country and family.

It seems unlikely that this will change.

He simply couldn't wait for Zhao Jia to change, nor could he help Zhao Jia change.

The saying "It's easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature" is no joke.

Trying to change his love for beautiful women is harder than killing him.

Cao Ze carried the jet-black Zhanlu sword back to Qingping Residence.

He wanted to study how to cultivate that sword technique that had been struck by lightning.

If he could successfully cultivate, even if he only reached the beginner level, he would have the ability to defeat a half-step grandmaster.

If one can achieve even a minor level of mastery, even a grandmaster is not impossible to kill.

However, given his current strength, cultivating this is somewhat risky and difficult.

If you get struck by it, you'll either be turned into charcoal or reduced to ashes.

However, practicing such a heaven-defying sword technique makes one vulnerable to being struck by lightning.

After much thought, Cao Ze concluded that the best time to cultivate this sword technique was when he could master the changes in his body and comprehend a bit of the power of heaven and earth, which would be to step into the realm of a half-step grandmaster.

But for him now, improving his strength and having more trump cards means having more capital to survive.

With this thought in mind, Cao Ze made up his mind.

The first step to becoming a genius is to start cultivating your skills early.

The Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique—it's you!

Chapter 154 Sticking to Conventions

Speaking of this Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique, it is also known as the Divine Sword Thunder Control Sword Technique.

It originates from the Taoist Taiji Xuanqing Dao lineage.

Because Longhu Mountain primarily practices thunder magic, it places special emphasis on collecting Taoist thunder magic cultivation texts.

After the Taiji Xuanqing Dao lineage declined and disbanded several hundred years ago, this Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique was collected by Longhu Mountain.

This method emphasizes being one with heaven and earth, aligning one's body with nature, and using one's body to control the creation of nature.

When he makes a move, the heavens and earth tremble, the wind and clouds change color, he is invincible, and his power is unparalleled.

When refined to its ultimate level, it can even absorb all the thunderbolts from the heavens and use them for its own purposes.

Like a living god walking among mortals—Thor!

However, the first step in cultivation requires waiting for a thunderstorm to guide heavenly lightning into the body.